Means for sharpening razor blades



y 30, 9 G. E. ROBINSON 1,912,098

MEANS FOR SHARPENING RAZOR BLADES Filed Jan. 5, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l May 30, 1933. RQBlNSQN 1,912,098

7 MEANS FOR SHARPENING RAZOR BLADES Filed Jan. 5, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Gleason, POD/I750 i 25 means to reverse the blade at the Patented May 30, 1933 UNITED STATES GLEESON EDWARD ROBINSON, OF TURNBRIDGE WELLS, ENGLAND MEANSFOR SHARPENING- RAZOR BLADES Application filed anuary E,

This invention relates to razor blade sharpeners and has special reference to the type of sharpener wherein the blade is reciprocated over a hone, the blade being turned over at '5 one or both ends of its travel.

One important object of the invention is to provide an improved general construction for devices of this character.

F A second important object of the invention is to provide an improved means, in such devices, for reversing the position of the blade.

A third important object of the invention is to provide a novel construction of such a sharpener wherein the edge portion of the blade is kept firmly pressed against the sharpening block or hone during the greater part of its travel but is released from such pressure at the end of each reciprocation.

A fourth important object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved combination of means for pressing the edge portion of the blade against the hone during the greater portion of its travel and independent end of its travel.

A fifth important object of the invention is to provide a novel lever arrangement for reversing the position of the blade at the V end of its stroke.

A sixth important object of the invention is to provide means for so limiting and regu lating the action of the lever arrangement 7 that it becomes impossible, in a double edged blade, for the forward edge of the blade to be in position to engage the sharpening block or hone upon reversal of its movement.

With the above and other objects in view as will be hereinafter apparent, the invention consists in general of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specif- 5 ically claimed.

Convenient embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the drawings herewith of which Figure 1 is a plan view of a sharpening device constructed according to the inven- 1931, Serial No. 506,797, and in Great Britain January 16, 1930.

tion, showing the carriage at its extreme right hand position.

Figure 2 is a view corresponding to Figure 1, but showing the carriage at the position where the blade holder is removable and showing the handle lever in the raised position to allow of the removal of the holder.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 3, 3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a cross section through the blade holder when in its horizontal position, and shows also a cross section through the sharpening block but the sections are taken in different. planes.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the device but with the handle lever raised and the blade holder removed.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the blade holder. I

Figure 7 is a longitudinal section of the device taken in the plane indicated by the line 7, 7, ofFigure 2, but omitting the stropping block and showing the holder in the act of turning over at the left hand end; and,

Figures 8 and 9 are detail sectional views of a modification of the invention.

Referring first to Figures 1 to 7, A is the frame of the device composed of sheet metal or other material and comprising a base a, two side walls a, each with an inward flange so a? at the top, and an end wall a The flanges a are each cut away at a to permit of the removal of the blade holder, and the side walls a are correspondingly gapped at a B is the carriage comprising a bridge-piece I) with two downwardly extending side flanges b on the outer faces of which are secured fibre-or vulcaniteblocks B which are a sliding fit against the inner faces of the walls a and between the base a and the flanges a 'These fibre or vulcanite blocks serve as slides for the carriage. The side flanges b are cranked inwards and then extended to the left to provide bearings 12 for the blade holder, there being simply slots in the extensions (see Figure 5). b is a handle lever hinged at 5?. It has a finger piece 6 and a curved cover 6 for the blade.

The blade holder C comprises two flat strips 0 a between whichthe blade is clamped and each strip has integral with it one of the journals 0 which engage in the slots being retained therein by side flanges of the handle lever b when the latter is turned down. The strip 0 has the usual downward studs (not shown) to engage in the usual notches or holes in the razor blade D. The strip 0 (see Figure is connected to the strip 0 at one end by a sliding hinge 0 and has at its other (left hand) end a recess adapted to receive the respectiveend of the strip 0. This latter and the recess may be tapered to enhance the clamping efiect. Only when the holder is removed from the carriage can the strips 0 and c be moved endwise in relation to each other to disengage the end of the strip 0' from the recess 0 after which they may be opened away from each other to permit of removal and replacement of the blade. On one end of the strip a? and parallel to the plane of the blade is a double armed lever 0* on the inner side of the respective journal 0 and each strip has outwards of its journal and integral therewith a double armed lever c at right angles to the blade and also to the lever 0% Each lever 0 has mounted in it two spring pressed studs 0 which project out through its outer face, and alternately engage frictionally against one of two rails or sills E (see Figure 1)'which are sloped away at each end a.

F F and G Gr are plates projecting upwardly from the base a sufficiently to ensure that, as the double armed lever 0 passes thereover, it is brought to the horizontal.

H H are two inwardly extending projections from the walls a their function being to turn the holder over when they are encountered by the levers 0 J J are plates extending inwards from the end wall. These,

I when encountered by the lever 0*, ensure that it comes to the vertical at the extreme end of the stroke.

Each lever 0 has a peg 0 to ride over the top edge ofthe rail E to limit the extent to which the holder can turn in one direction while over the sharpening block. This is necessary only in the case of. a single-edged blade.

M is a block carrying a stropping pad on on one face and a honing pad 972. on the other. The block is adapted to bed down on to the upturned edges of a cradle m secured to the base and the block'is supported by a wire frame m which passes at its ends-into holes in the ends of the block M and passes at its intermediate portion under screw heads m". Whenit is required to reverse the block it is simply swung up on its wire frame, turned over and reseated'.

The action of the device is as follows Assuming the holder tobe empty, it is removed and a blade clamped therein. It is then replaced and the handle lever turned down. The carriage is then reciprooated. As

it moves in one direction (say left to right)- the holder is tilted by the frictional engagement of two of the studs 0 against the rails E. This causes an edge of the blade to wipe over the stropping block, or else for the back edge of the blade to pass in close proximity over the block (in the case of a single edged blade) being kept from touching by the engagement of the pegs 0 over the tops of the rails E. As the carriage nears the end of the stroke the lever 0* passes over one of the plates G and is brought positively to the horizontal lifting the blade edge from the block. When the carriage goes back the holder tilts the other way, under the action of the studs 0 on the rails E, and presents the other edge of the blade to the stropping block. As the carriage nears the end of the return stroke the lever 0 encounters one of the plates F F and again the blade comes'to the horizontal, and immediately after that the studs 0 pass clear of the rails leaving the holder free'to be turned. Further movement of the carriage in the same direction causes the levers c to encounter the projections H H which cause the holder to turn through a right angle and the lever 0 come approximately to the horizontal. The lever 0 then encounters one of the plates J which brings it to the vertical and consequently brings the levers a truly horizontal. hen the carriage goes forward again the lever c again encounters one of the plates F F and completes the turning over of the holder. Thus the cycle of operations is complete. The plates F F are well rounded off to facilitate the turning of the lever 0 Referring now to Figures 8 and 9, there is there shown a modification of the tilting means. In this case instead of the studs 0 discs N are provided integral with the holder and between eachdisc N and an outer disc at is clamped a rubber disc n whose periphery extends beyond the discs N and a. Each disc a may be integral with the respective double armed lever 0 Each rubber disc 11' bears upwardly against the under surface of the respective flange-a and has the same effect in tilting the blade holder as that produced by the action of the studs 0 on the rails E. In lieu of the disc a a rubber ring may be provided set in a groove of a plain disc rigid with the respective end of the holder.

The blade holder described and illustrated is for use with a single edged blade as shown. For a double edged blade the construction is the same except that the'proj-ections from the strip 0 are difierentlyplaced as will be well understood.

Referring to both the above modifications, the stropping block may be held down in its cradle by providing a projection or boss over which the frame or wire must be sprung as the block is pressed down, or by providing the frame or wire with a spring device tending always to press the block down.

Having fully described my'invention what I claim and desire tosecure by Letters Patentis: c

1. A razor blade sharpening machine comprising a casing, a carriage sliding in said casing and adapted to be reciprocated in relation thereto, a blade holder mounted in said carriage and turnable in relation thereto, a stropping block mounted in said casing, rails on the sides of said casing, engaging means on said blade holder adapted to engage said rails to cause an edge of a blade in said blade holder to be drawn over said stropping block and pressed thereagainst, said rails terminating in spaced relation to an end of said casing to allow said engaging means to pass clear to facilitate reversing of the blade holder, and separate means for efiecting such reversing upon said engaging means having passed clear of the ends of said rails.

2. A razor blade sharpening machine comprising casing, a carriage sliding in said casing and adapted to be reciprocated in relation thereto, a blade holder mounted in said carriage and turnable in relation thereto, a stropping block mounted in said casing, rails on the sides of said casing, engaging means on said blade holder adapted to engage said rails to cause an edge of a blade in said iade holder to be drawn over said stropping block and pressed thereagainst, said rails terminating in spaced relation to each end of said casing to allow said engaging means to pass clear to facilitate reversing upon said engaging means having passed clear of corresponding ends of said rails of the blade holder and separate means for effecting suchreversing.

3. A razor blade sharpening machine comprising a casing, a carriage sliding in said casing and adapted to be reciprocated in relation thereto, a blade holder mounted in said carriage and turnable in relation thereto, a stropping block mounted in said casing, rails on the sides of said casing, engaging means on said blade holder adapted to engage said rails to cause an edge of a blade in said blade holder to be drawn over said stropping block and pressed thereagainst, said rails terminating short of one end of said casing to allow said engaging means to pass clear to facilitate reversing of the blade holder, separate means for effecting such reversing upon said engaging means having passed clear of the ends of said rails, a raised surface rigid with the casing and in respect of one end thereof and one side thereof, a double-armed lever on one end of said blade holder and adapted, near the end of the stroke, to wipe closely over said surface and thereby ensure that the blade holder will be brought substantially parallel to the stropping block surface just before theiblade reaches the end of said stropping surface.

' 4. A razor blade sharpening machine comprising a casing, a carriage sliding in said casing and adapted to be reciprocated in relation thereto,a blade holder mounted in said carriage and turnable in relation thereto,a 'stropping block mlounted in said casing, rails on the sides of said casing, engaging means on said bladeholder adapted to engage said rails to cause an edge of a blade in said blade holder to be drawn over said stropping block and pressed thereagainst, said rails terminating in spaced relation to one end of said casing to allow said engaging means to pass clear to facilitate reversing of the blade holder, a raised surface rigid with the casing in respect to one end thereof and one side thereof, a double-armed lever on one end of said blade holder and adapted near thejend of the stroke, to wipe closely over the said surface and ensure that theblade holder will be brought substantially parallel to the stropping block surface just before the blade reaches-the end of said stropping surface, a

second double armedlever on one end .of said blade holder at right angles to said first-lever, a stop on the casing in the path of said second lever whereby said second lever is caused to be turned substantially horizontal to effect a part of the reversing operation, and meanstocomplete said turning operation at the commencement of the next stroke.

5. A razor blade sharpening machine comprising a casing, a carriage sliding in said casing and adapted to be reciprocated in relation thereto, a st-ropping block mounted in said casing, a rail on each side of said casing arranged toface towards the mid longitudinal vertical plane of said casing, a pair of yielding friction studs for each rail mounted on each endof said blade holder the studs ofeach pair being adapted toengage alternatelywith arespective rail to cause an edge of a'blade in said blade holder to be drawn over said stropping block and pressed thereagainst, said rails terminating in spaced relation to one end of said casing to allow said studs to pass clear to facilitate reversing of the blade holder, and separate means for effecting such reversing when the studsare in clear position.

6. A razor blade sharpening machine coinprising a casing, a carriage sliding in said casing and adapted to be reciprocated 1n relation thereto, a stropping block mounted in said casing, rails on the sides of said casing arranged to face towards the bed thereof, a disc on each end of said bladeholder, a resilient rim on each said disc adapted to engage fr'ictionally with therespective rail to cause an edge of a blade in said blade holder to be drawn over said stropping block and pressed thereagainst, said rails termi- ,nating in spaced relation to one end of said casing to allow said resilient periphery of said disc to pass clear to facilitate reversing of the blade holder, and separate means for efiecting such reversing upon the discs being clear of the rails.

7. A razor blade sharpening machine comprising a casing, a carriage sliding in said casing and adapted to be reciprocated in relation thereto, a. blade holder mounted in said carriage and turnable in relation thereto, a stropping block mounted in said casing, rails on the sides of said casing, engaging means on said blade holder adapted to engage each said rail to cause an edge of a blade in said blade holder to be drawn over said stropping blockand pressed thereagainst, said rails terminating in spaced relation to one end of said casing to allow said engaging means to pass'clear to facilitate reversing of the blade holder, separate means for effecting such reversing upon said engaging means being clear of said rails, and means whereby the turning of the blade holder while over the stropping block is limited, whereby with single-edged blades, the unsharpened edge is prevented from encountering the stropping surface.

8. A razor blade sharpening machine comprising a casing, a carriage sliding in said casing and adapted to be reciprocated in relation thereto, a blade holder mounted in said carriage and turnable in relation thereto, a stropping block mounted in said casing, rails on the sides of said casing, engaging means on said blade holder adapted to engage each said rail to cause an edge of a blade in said blade holder to be drawn over said stropping block and pressed thereagainst, said rails terminating in spaced relation to one end of said casing to allow said engaging means to pass clear to facilitate reversing of the blade holder, a lever arm on one end of said blade holder, a. lateral projection extending from saidarm, a ledge on said casing over which said projection passes whereby the turning of the blade holder while over the stropping block is limited whereby with single-edged blades the unsha-rpened edge is prevented from encountering the stropping surface.

9. A razor blade sharpening machine comprising a casing, a carriage sliding in said casing, slots in said carriage, a blade holder formed as two strips, a journal at the out-er end of eachstrip, means whereby said strips may be caused to clamp the blade between them and release it therefrom by endwise movement of the, strips in relation to each other and said strips, when said blade holder is in place, being held in clamping relationship to each other by the engagement of their journals with said slots of said carriage, a stropping I block mounted in said casing, means for keeping an edge of a blade in said blade holder against the surface of said strop- GLEESON EDWARD ROBINSON. 

